(Cat ownership has been banned since the HDB's inception in 1960, but those who live in public housing can own dogs of approved breeds. Some cat lovers cry foul over what they perceive as a double standard, and hope that the rules will be relaxed. Residents in certain Chong Pang blocks can already keep cats under a pilot programme called Love Cats. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG)

There seems to be potential for relooking the no-cat rule in HDB homes following success of pilot scheme in Chong Pang estate.

In Singapore, a pet cat can legally live out its fabled nine lives in a Housing Board flat only if its owner lives in certain blocks in Chong Pang.

Since October 2012, those residents have been allowed to keep cats under a pilot scheme called Love Cats. Elsewhere, cat ownership has been banned since the HDB's inception in February 1960.

The reasons given by the HDB revolve round the potential for cats to be a public nuisance, due to their tendency to wander, caterwaul, shed fur and defaecate in public areas. But flat dwellers can own one dog of an HDB-approved breed.

This apparent discrimination against cats has been a bone of contention for animal lovers for years.

The issue has cropped up again, in letters - both for and against the ban - last month in The Straits Times' Forum page.

But are bigger changes afoot?

Yes - if MP for Nee Soon GRC Louis Ng has his way.

Mr Ng, founder of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), told The Sunday Times that the pilot in Chong Pang was successful and that he intends to bring the issue up in Parliament soon.

He said: "We are hoping to expand, if not nationalise, the programme."

(Ms Jocelyn Tan, seen here with her one-year-old cat Cookie, says responsible owners make sure their cats are not a bother to others. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM)

Dr Jaipal Singh Gill, executive director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the ban was "not based on reasoned arguments".

"If we look at the reasons for the ban put forward by HDB, all of them occur as a result of irresponsible pet ownership," he said.

Many whom The Sunday Times spoke to also deemed the HDB's reasons insufficient to warrant a ban, as dog ownership brings similar problems.

Mr Alexander James Fonseca, a 21-year-old waiting to enter university, said: "I think cats may not have the social nature of dogs and are hence harder to control, but they still seem to be trainable."

Mr Oliver Chern, who is in his 40s and works in marketing, said: "The regulations for dogs are quite reasonable. Perhaps a similar system could be established for cats, to hold their owners accountable."

When asked why cats do not have a registration programme as dogs do, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said that it requires licensing of dogs for traceability during the outbreak of diseases such as rabies. Thus, its requirements are targeted at dogs rather than cats.

Taxi driver Aaron Liu, 54, dislikes cats but he, too, finds the ban bizarre. "While stray cats can be very loud when they fight, pet cats should not be an issue," he said.